LEMON BUTTER-DIPPED BABY-VEGETABLE CRUDITES

Lemon Butter-Dipped Baby-Vegetable Crudites image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Time 1h10m

Number Of Ingredients 13

Kosher salt
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 small head Romanesco, cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
1/4 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/4 pound fiddlehead ferns, trimmed
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
8 ounces multicolored baby carrots, peeled
2 mini cucumbers, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch slices
1 head purple endive, leaves separated
1 head yellow endive, leaves separated
1 bunch small radishes, scrubbed, or 2 watermelon radishes, thinly sliced
Fine pink salt, preferably Himalayan or Hawaiian

Steps:

Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season generously with kosher salt. Working in batches, cook green vegetables until just tender and bright green, 2 minutes for asparagus, 3 minutes for Romanesco and peas, and 1 minute for fiddleheads. Transfer to ice-water bath. Drain; pat thoroughly dry.
Heat 6 tablespoons butter in a small bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water until almost melted but not quite translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in remaining 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is opaque. Whisk in lemon zest.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Dip half of each cooked and raw vegetable in butter, letting excess drip off; transfer to baking sheets. Sprinkle with pink salt. (If butter becomes too thick, place over simmering water to gently reheat.) Refrigerate until butter hardens, at least 20 minutes or, loosely covered, up to 2 hours; serve cold.